Can you tell me why arrogance has become such a pestilence on the Land? Or has it always been that way and I just didn’t notice? More and more it seems the people in government, whether elected or hired, have the attitude that their guiding principal should be their own agenda and damn what we have to say about it. I see this in my city at all levels, from the city council to the planners. They treat the people who live here like we’re a nuisance, a rabble who don’t know jack. The most frustrating thing is that for the most part they aren’t very bright. Which would be okay, because after all, they are beaurocrats, but they treat US like we’re idiots. I think the worst in our city is the Traffic Department. They’ve lately fallen in love with what must be the latest trend in city chic, the roundabout. They’ve started taking out 4-way stops and replacing them with roundabouts for no rhyme or reason. Then, and this is what I’m talking about, they euphemistically call them “traffic calming devices” and promote them as enhancing pedestrian safety! Did you ever try to cross a street at a roundabout? So, instead of a 4-way stop where everybody stops, slowing traffic and allowing pedestrians to cross calmly and safely, nobody has to stop and it’s open season on pedestrians. Can you believe that when I questioned their “pedestrian safety” rationale, one of the erstwhile members of the traffic department actually told me that the pedestrians can cross halfway to the island in the middle of the street and wait there for an opening to make it the rest of the way across. Silly me…I just couldn’t see how that was safer than having all of the traffic stopped until that foolish pedestrian was all the way across the street. God, am I stupid!
I love the city I live in, but I can’t stand the City.
1 Comment
April 21, 2008 at 10:03 pm
The sounds of a true blogger…
I wasn’t aware that you were even remotely involved in the city you lived in. Nice work! Too bad they don’t listen to lowly denizens.